Zoologi/.} NATUKAL HISTOEY OF VICTORIA. [Beptiles. 



Plate 81. 



PHYSIGNATHUS LESUERI (Gray), 



Var. HOWITTI (McCoy). 



The Gippsland Water Lizard. 



[Genus PHYSIGNATHUS (Cuvier). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order 

 Sauria. Sub-order Pachyglossaj. Tribe Strobilosaura. Family Agamidaj.) 



Gen. Char. — Head pyramidal, quadrangular, greatly swollen at tbe parotid sides of the 

 angle of the jaws ; covered with very small, subequal, polygonal, keeled plates ; rostral angle 

 raised into a superciliary ridge ; nostrils lateral, near tip of snout ; ear-drum large, on a level 

 with the surface. Four incisors and six longer, arched, pointed, laniary teeth on each side in 

 upper jaw, with thirteen shorter, triangular molars. Tongue wide, thick, spongy, slightly 

 narrow and notched at tip ; skin of throat extended to form a small dew-lap ; a V-shaped trans- 

 verse fold between the neck and the chest. Neck, body, and tail compressed and with a crest of 

 erect, compressed scales as far as middle of tail, which is two-thirds of the total length. Scales 

 of the body rhomboidal, scarcely imbricated, in transverse rows, of very unequal sizes. Toes 

 widened by a border of broad scales on each side, projecting horizontally. Femoral pores 

 distinct.] 



Description. — Form elongate, tapering- ; neck and body moderately com- 

 pressed, angular along the back ; tail very much compressed ; serrated crest of 

 moderately arched, triangular scales along mid-line of back from nape to near middle 

 of tail, beyond which there are two smaller parallel crests with a narrow hollow 

 between them to the tip ; head with small, polygonal, elongate, obtusely keeled or 

 angulated plates on top, those near tip of snout a little larger than those behind ; 

 an ovate space over each eye, bounded internally by an arched line of erect scales, 

 larger than the others of the head, is covered by minute hexagonal scales about half 

 the size of those on the middle of the top of the head ; a nearly vertical arched 

 ridge of strong scales over each eye at angle of head ; eyelids covered with very 

 small plates; each lip with 12 large marginal, flat, smooth plates; a few rows of large 

 smooth scales extending from the chin nearly to the ear ; chin plate pentagonal or 

 nearly triangular; rostral plate hexagonal, about twice as wide as high; an irregular 

 row of large conical tubercular plates on side of cheek, and about 9 vertical irregular 

 rows extending from the dorsal crest nearly to the belly, each about as wide as 3 of 

 the adjacent plates ; occiput with numerous small conical polygonal tubercles, and 

 one small flat oval occipital plate. Ear large, round. Tail strong at base, strongly 

 compressed and tapering to a very slender posterior extremity, the single dorsal 

 crest extending to rather less than half of its length, after which the crest is doubled. 

 Scales under the chin smooth, convex, rhomboidal ; those on the pouch and under 

 the neck strongly keeled, the keel ending in a point directed backwards ; ventral 



C 7] 



